Sobering night at range

[partdeux]

Our local club has a .22 plate shoot every Friday night. Lot of shooters, lot of activity, everybody on guard for safety. We've even taken to splitting the roles of the person running the shoot from someone recording the results.

Before a shooter is allowed to step away from the line, magazine out, bolt locked open.

New shooters get lots of help and attention with safety... But one of the club's more experienced top shooters managed to shoot himself tonight. Especially scary for me, because I was sitting approximately 5' away from him, with the muzzle loosely pointed in my direction. Luckily, his leg provided the backstop.

Back to to our experienced shooter. The person running the event double checked the slide was locked open. Even my wife said she saw it was open... BUT, nobody checked to ensure the magazine was out. He was carrying a sweatshirt, his .22, several magazines, and a medicine bottle (that's a concern of mine). Pure speculation on my part, the magazine wasn't empty, he fumbled with all the crap in his arms, slide got released, and his match grade trigger needed to be breathed on and it released the hammer.

2 RN's and an EMT shooting with us. The .22 passed through his medicine bottle, the sweatshirt, his pants and landed in his leg. Even tho it was somewhat in a dangerous area, it apparently did not hit an artery.

EMS can not come in until LEO ensures the room is clear. He walks in and says, "are there any firearms here?" LOL Most but not all were all ready put away, we confirmed any that were still out were completely cleared.

Like I said, def a sobering night. Club needs to take a step back and review the safety procedures, especially with so much activity going on.

[JohnS624]

Wayne County?

[Cackler]

Well, first rules are often first rules broken.

You have to know everybody that was there will be more diligent about making sure that after the safety is engaged, the mag reall does come out and then the slide is locked to the rear.

Now the "expierienced shooter" will have an experience to talk about that was obviously painful. At least he lived and learned.

Thanks for the reminder.

[ColonelKurtz]

Now the "expierienced shooter" will have an experience to talk about that was obviously painful.
I know who this happened to, he is a very experienced shooter... shows anyone can have a momentary lapse of awareness and trigger discipline. Be vigilant.

[Cackler]

I know who this happened to, he is a very experienced shooter... shows anyone can have a momentary lapse of awareness and trigger discipline. Be vigilant.


I agree. That is precisely why I thanked the OP for the thread. It can happen to any of us.

[ddmoit]

Thanks for sharing. We didn't have to be there to take the lesson now.:thup:

[Maranatha]

Thank God it was a 22 not a 45

[Shyster]

Scary. I'm glad I decided to stay home at the last minute.

[partdeux]

Scary. I'm glad I decided to stay home at the last minute.
Safe decision... But, it is one lesson that will stick with me for awhile.

[XDM 40 cal]

Yep, event "experts" can have ND...

Glad he ok... Great way to over look the SOP of the range... See what can be done to correct the mishap.

[nrich1979]

I often here how the "unloaded guns" are the ones that are involved in the accidental shootings..

[Nickoli61089]

Glad he is okay. Why don't they check to see the mag is out, slide is clear then call slide forward hammer down to make sure. That way if for some reason there is a round that gets chambered that no one knows about it is fired down range in a safe direction?
Is this not how they practice at IDPA and ISPCA matches or am I mistaken? I'm Not trying to start an argument just expressing my opinions and extra gun safety.

[GMAN12]

If this is Wayne County, I shot there about 3 years ago, twice, never felt safe and never went back.

[partdeux]

Glad he is okay. Why don't they check to see the mag is out, slide is clear then call slide forward hammer down to make sure. That way if for some reason there is a round that gets chambered that no one knows about it is fired down range in a safe direction?
Is this not how they practice at IDPA and ISPCA matches or am I mistaken? I'm Not trying to start an argument just expressing my opinions and extra gun safety.
rimfire, not a good idea to dry fire... but I understand the safety concerns.

[HoldHard]

Is this not how they practice at IDPA and ISPCA matches or am I mistaken? I'm Not trying to start an argument just expressing my opinions and extra gun safety.Yes, in IDPA and USPSA (IPSC) matches, the Range Officer askes the shooter "If you are finished, unload and show clear. If clear, hammer down and holster". This puts the responsibility of having the weapon unloaded on the shooter. If he points it downrange and it still goes bang, he is disqualified from the competition. That being said, rimfire pistols are not allowed in either of these types of competition.


rimfire, not a good idea to dry fire... but I understand the safety concerns.

Repeated dryfiring of rimfire pistols will have an adverse effect on the firing pin. Link (http://www.handgunclub.com/hca/?p=1322)


As shown by this illustration, the firing pin is poised off-center to crush the rim of the case. If we remove the cartridge case entirely, the hard-steel firing pin then impacts the hard steel chamber wall. Having this happen a few times over the life of the gun may not do anything. But repeated strikes can and (eventually) will cause the gun to fail.

Without a cartridge case in position, the firing pin can break or the tip can be peened bad enough that it fails to retract. Worse, is that the firing pin acts as a chisel, carving a groove or dimple in the chamber wall. If this cut is deep enough, it’ll allow the soft brass to deform under the firing pin and prevent the cartridge from igniting.

It is the damage to the chamber wall that is most expensive (and sometimes impossible) to fix. Damaging the firing pin is usually correctable, unless the part is no longer available or it has caused other damage to the gun. And the easiest way to avoid this kind of damage to your gun is do not dry fire any rimfire firearms.

The club's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) should be updated to state that for all rimfire weapons, the Range Safety Officer (RSO) must look into each chamber to verify that the weapon is unloaded. It should also include the use of a chamber flag for every weapon. They don't need to be expensive, just a short length of brightly colored heat-resistant plastic tube that fits into the barrel and sticks out the ejection port. Insert it into the chamber after being checked and before leaving the firing line.

That's the way it is at our club. All our RSO's are NRA certified and follow our highly detailed operating procedures to the letter. A new RSO has to spend 6 training sessions with the "seasoned" RSOs before we let the new guy out there on his own. Everyone also has to re-certify at the club every two years.

Safety first, last and always. We all know why. You can't whistle a bullet back.

HH

[tjudge]

If this is Wayne County, I shot there about 3 years ago, twice, never felt safe and never went back.
i am no longer a member for many safety reasons. all to do with the back room and how they operate it. one time there was a 14 year old carying a loaded concealed glock that was his dad's, and i was told it was ok because his dad is a cop. BS on that one. and the second time there was a gentleman who had a issue at the match on friday night that threatened me and my son, in front of a whole group of people. iam really sad someone got injured but by the way things are handled around there its not supprising. i hope the gentleman who was injured fully recovers from it.

[TAC]

He was carrying a sweatshirt, his .22


What kind of .22?

[yocan]

I don't understand people you look in the chamber line of sight you look down the magazine well and back then watch it close on an empty chamber.....

its not complicated, its really not. I'm going to get in trouble again down the road for slapping someone for being stupid..... kinda got in trouble at boot camp for it (but hey everyone gets ITed right?) at OCS the Gunnery Sgt just laughted at the fool and said "thats why you don't point guns at Marines" no he did not graduate from OCS.

I've been nearly banned from a range for getting mad at someones lack of safety (loading a 1911 at my chest I started screaming as soon as it left my chest) apparently screaming like a Drill instructor on a live fire range isn't appreciated. its a 1911 to load it the safety is off, I didn't see the problem.

i've chilled out a lot since I was 21 but it still makes me mad.

[JDG]

Thanks for sharing, hope the guy has a fast recovery....

A good rule I follow, and I can see it not working for competition where you are only allowed a ceretain number of shots or have to stop shooting because of a time limit, but shoot till the gun is empty.....

Anyways, enough from me...

[cwo4uscgret]

Scary. I'm glad I decided to stay home at the last minute.

It could have been -1 on the attorney side! :hoppinhappy: :spam: :hoppinhappy:

[GMAN12]

OCI's would help and should be mandatory. (open chamber indicator)

[Shyster]

Well, the club has updated their range safety procedures. A flag must be in the chamber at all times when not at the shooting stage.

[yocan]

Well, the club has updated their range safety procedures. A flag must be in the chamber at all times when not at the shooting stage.
butterfly effect shyster if you had been there he would have missed his leg.

anyone know how he's doing?

[Shyster]

Perfectly fine he was back shooting two weeks later. Kicked my ass too.

[jmoser]

Well, the club has updated their range safety procedures. A flag must be in the chamber at all times when not at the shooting stage.

If you have never seen this done just use bright orange weed wacker line.

Universal caliber fit, flexible enough to go in the smallest .22 autos. You can wrap a 1" loop at one end and secure with a small zip tie if you want to be fancy, plus it keeps the breech end from falling thru bore.

Oh - and there is a reason the RO commands I use are

Slides back
Magazines out
Cylinders Open
Guns on the Bench
Flags [OCIs] in
Step back from the line

and I DO look in every chamber and magwell . . . . not gonna happen on my watch. Really helps the RO having Hi-Vis flags in every chamber; speeds up the 'safe' check too.

Please be safe !!

[langenc]

Punch a hole in a milk jug cap and 'tie' that onto one end of the L shaped weed wacker. The milk jug cap makes the weed wacker 'wire' much easier to see when checking the line to see if they are in place.

[cwo4uscgret]

a colored zip tie looped through itsself also works well.

[MotoMitten]

Punch a hole in a milk jug cap and 'tie' that onto one end of the L shaped weed wacker. The milk jug cap makes the weed wacker 'wire' much easier to see when checking the line to see if they are in place.
We have done a similar thing with fishing line and wiffle golf balls.

[ekick]

It sounds like he was carrying all that stuff, including his pistol, in a big pile like taking a load of laundry out of the dryer. Not a great idea. Many years ago I learned the hard way never to hold a gun and ANYTHING ELSE in the same hand. Luckily that was also with a .22 (a target pistol with a match trigger, naturally).

[Top]

I often here how the "unloaded guns" are the ones that are involved in the accidental shootings..

I am going to have to borrow that one!! I would also have to add that it seems like the carrying of so many things was a big part of the problem. I know that ranges can be extremely safety oriented, have the slide foward, either on a flag safety or even just closed, empty would have helped avoid the issue. Glad to hear that he was ok.

[JohnS624]

One thing that I have learned over the years is that many times "good shot" does not equal "safe shooter", especially with .22's, since they aren't "real" guns.

[cwo4uscgret]

One thing that I have learned over the years is that many times "good shot" does not equal "safe shooter", especially with .22's, since they aren't "real" guns.

Statistically I think more people are shot annually with a .22 then any other caliber...

[langenc]

And like I told an unsafe shooter at the range--86% of those that get shot are shot with an EMPTY gun.